Homestyle breading on boneless and bone-in chicken

Re-creating a unique eating experience on an industrial scale

What makes homestyle so appealing?

From quick service restaurant chains to domestic

kitchensaroundtheworld,homestyleisafirm

favorite with consumers. When applied by a

practiced hand, the coarse texture of the golden

homestyle coating resembles a coral reef, whiles its

crispy ‘bite’ adds to the eating experience. Achieving

abalancebetweenflourpick-up,textureand

crispiness is crucial to the enjoyment of an authentic

Southern fried eating experience.

Traditional homestyle coating by hand

Homestyle is still created by hand in many restaurants

because this was considered the best way to get

theflakeylookandcrunchytexture.Theprocedure

involveshandflippingthepoultrypartsaspecific

numberoftimesinbatters,flourandmixesofspices.

Crumbs and browning agents can also be added

tomodifycolorandtexture.Thisisaprocessthat

appearstobedifficulttoreproduceauthenticallyonan

industrial scale. Food processors are confronted with

a dilemma when developing ‘heat and eat’ poultry

products that bring homestyle into retail outlets:

compromise on the authenticity of the coating or use

alabor-intensiveandthereforeexpensiveprocess.

Fortunately, GEA has removed this dilemma with an

innovative homestyle line solution.

The process challenges of recreating homestyle

coating on an industrial scale are:

• Getting the authentic textured look of the coating,

whichisformedastheflourandthickbatterfold

and form creases on the product

• Guaranteeingaconsistentall-overcoating,evenon

irregularshapedbone-inpoultry

• Achieving the crispy ‘bite’ by par frying

• Keeping the frying oil clean and free from burnt

flourthatbreaksoildownfasterandinfluencesthe

tasteoftheendproductandshelflife

• Maintaining a high yield by minimizing cooking losses

• Maximizingcosteffectivenessbyreducingmanual

labor, minimizing line footprint and maximizing

automation

Adding value to boneless and bone-in poultry with delicioushomestyle coating

Homestyle breading is a fast growing trend for coating bone-in poultry products like drums, wings, legs, thighs and 8-piece chicken as well as boneless tenders, fi llets and chicken popcorn. Even formed products increase in value when given a golden homestyle coating. To re-create authentic homestyle coating in an automated industrial environment, GEA has an integrated line solution that gives the true homestyle look, feel and taste in a highly cost-effective way.

HOMESTYLE BREADING · 3

Automating homestyle breading

Flatbed and single drum breaders

Theconventionaltechniquesusedbypoultryprocessors

toapplya‘homestyle’flourcoatingareusingaflatbed

breaderorasingledrumbreader.Aflatbedbreader

hasdifficultyinachievingfullcoverageandtherefore

doesn’tlooklikehomestyle.Toimprovethelook,seeded

flourcanbeusedbutthisgivesatotallydifferenttaste,

biteandeatingexperience.Usingaflatbedbreader

incombinationwiththreetofiveflipsalsoremainsa

compromise on appearance. A conventional single drum

breader, typically with a double pass, does produces

an authentic look but is extremely labor intensive and

requires converging and diverging of products at the

infeed and outfeed respectively.

Single drum versus multidrum breader

Thesingledrumbreaderhasalargediameterand

requires a converger at the infeed and diverger at the

outfeed or a lot of people doing this work manually. It

produces a reasonable homestyle appearance although

thetechniquehasdrawbacks.TheGEAhomestyle

breader incorporates two or three rotating drums, for

600 mm and 1000 mm lines respectively.

To meet the challenges poultry processors face in re-creating homestyle, GEA has developed an innovative multi-drum breader. The patented GEA MultiDrum authentically re-creates homestyle breading and signifi cantly reduces the need for manual labor. Below is an overview of the previously available options for automated homestyle coating.

4 · HOMESTYLE BREADING

Single drum

• Products need to be converged at the infeed and spread out

at the outfeed, a labor intensive process (up to 20 people)

• Thelargesingledrumneedsadditionalequipment,

andthereforetakesupvaluablefloorspaceandhaspoor

access for cleaning

• Wetproductsaredifficulttohandleeffectively

• Excessive dust is dispersed in the work environment

• Flouriscompressedintheaugers(whichreturnflourto

the infeed) leading to blockage

Multidrum

• Products are bulk loaded at the infeed because there is no

need for converging

• Products exit at the outfeed evenly spread in a single layer

across the transport with no need for manual labor

• Themachineoccupieslessspacethanasingledrumbreader

and associated spreading belts meaning shorter lines and

better accessibility for cleaning

• A GEA OptiAir (Dust Extraction) can be used to minimize dust

in the work environment

• Doesnotinvolveaugers,whichcompresstheflourandresult

in blockages

Products rise on a chain belt at the MultiDrum infeed and are naturally divided into two or three channels (depending on

model). The level of flour on the flour bed is adjustable and kept constant so that the right amount falls into the drums with the products.

There are no augers used to return flour to the infeed, so wet products can be fed into the drums without the risk of blockages forming.

Tumbling the products in the rotating drums ensures an authentic homestyle appearance. After tumbling, they exit the drums evenly

spread across the belt and the excess flour falls through slits to be recycled back into the machine. Adjusting the drum angle,

its rotational speed and the flour dosing at the infeed enables the flour pick-up level to be very accurately controlled.

HOMESTYLE BREADING · 5

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The total GEA Automated homestyle solution

Additional challenges

For example, the coating system has an impact on the end

quality.Ahomestylecoatinghasaruggedthree-dimensional

texture –like a coral reef – so care has to be taken downstream

to minimize mechanical impact to the cooked, frozen or chilled

coatedproducts.TheGEAhomestylecoatingsystemovercomes

these challenges. In addition to the coating, applying the correct

heattreatmentalsoinfluencesthelook,tasteandbiteofa

homestyle coating. After coating, the homestyle products need to

beflashfriedtosetthecoating.Inmostprocesses,theproducts

alsopassthroughinanoventofullycooktheproducts.These

processstepshavespecificchallengestoovercome.

Extending oil life

Whenfryingcoatedproducts,theuseofflouralwaysinfluences

the life and quality of the cooking oil. Frying is essential to

setthecoating,andflourwillalwaysbeleftintheoil.Again,

GEAhasinnovativefryingequipmentthatmakeasignificant

contributiontothequalityandprofitabilityofhomestyle

products.TheGEAEasyFrycanbefittedwiththehighcapacity

OberlinOilFilterthatfiltersoutparticlesdowntoonemicron

in size. It is a fully automatic, continuous process that produces

drysediment.UsingtheOberlinfiltervirtuallyeliminates

oil wastage, and ensures a consistent color and taste for the

homestyleproducts.Thepollutedfryingoilispumpedunder

pressurethroughadisposablefiltermedia.Ithasafiltercapacity

twotothreetimeshigherthanacentrifugeforfilteringsimilar

particlesizes.Itfiltersbothsinkingandsuspended/floating

sediment, so there is no need to wait until the sediment burns

and sinks as it does in a centrifuge.

The MultiDrum forms part of a complete coating system from GEA. In the set-up shown, all processes are in tune with each other. This, and a balance between equipment and ingredients, ensures you can achieve a perfect homestyle result and overcome additional challenges.

6 · HOMESTYLE BREADING

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Maximizing cooking yield

When coated products are cooked (after frying), there is a danger

thatmoistureislostandtheyielddrops.Toovercomethis,the

GEA CookStar spiral oven provides two cooking zones where the

temperature and dew points are independently controlled. In the

firstzone,alowercoretemperatureincombinationwithahigh

dew point (humidity) seal in moisture. In the second zone, hot air

with a higher temperature and lower dew point is used to create

the crispy coating so important for homestyle.

The ideal homestyle line

GEAhasafullrangeofbest-in-classequipmentthatcanbe

incorporatedintoahomestyleline.Therearetwoapproachesfor

homestyleprocessing:traditionalandinnovative.Thetraditional

fry-cooklineshowninthefigureincludes:

1 TheGEABulkLoaderPisoptimizedforrawmeatprocessing

applicationsandisparticularlysuitedtoloadingbone-inand

boneless poultry products via a transport conveyor into the

GEAMultiDrum.Thisenablesthebeltspeedtobeincreased

and reduces the need for manual handling – one operator can

run a 1000mm line with increased belt speed and reduced

manual handling

2 Apre-duststepusingtheMultiDrumtooptimizecoating

and OptiAir to minimize dust

3 FortheproductionofchickentendersanoptionalTender

Aligner can be added to reduce manual labor

4 A wet step using a Dipper for guaranteed full coverage of

irregular shapes even with thick batters and high belt

speeds, and the MultiDrum with OptiAir

5 AfryingsteptoparfrywithanEasyFryXLincombination

withtheOberlinoilfiltertosignificantlyextendoillifeand

maintain consistent taste, color and quality

6 Atwo-zoneCookStarspiraloventhatefficientlycooksinthe

firstzonetosealinmoistureandboostyieldandprovidea

crispy coating in the second zone

Notethatanalternativewaytoproducehomestyleisto‘cook-

fry’,wherethecookingtakesplacebeforefrying.Thiscanbe

done using the GEA equipment, although the coral reef texture

and crispy bite are not as well preserved in the heat treated

product as they are with the traditional technique.

HOMESTYLE BREADING · 7

Added value up- and downstream equipment

Therearemachinesforbrineinjection,massagingandtumbling

thathavebeenspeciallydevelopedforprocessingbone-inand

bonelessproducts.Homestylehasaruggedthree-dimensional

texture – like a coral reef – so care has to be taken downstream

to minimize mechanical impact to the cooked, frozen or chilled

coatedproducts.GEAalsooffersacompleterangeofspiral

freezers, horizontal thermoformer packaging machines (GEA

PowerPak) and vertical baggers (GEA SmartPacker) to enable a

completelinesolutiontobespecifiedwithintegratedcontrol

softwareforoptimumautomation.TheSmartPackersalsoinclude

a‘low-drop’versionthatshortensthedistancefromtheoverhead

weigher to the bag to minimize damage to fragile products.

Before the poultry products even enter the homestyle coating line, GEA has machines for preparing and marinating products to further add value.

Supporting equipment

Adding value with injecting…

GEA injectors like the YieldJector have dense needle patterns

and thin 2 mm needles that individually retract when hitting

aboneandfeatureindividualbrineflowcontrolperneedle.

Delicate chicken wing bones are not damaged, and brine

distribution in the meat and around bones is optimized.

… And tumbling

In combination with injection, massaging in a ScanMidi tumbler

for shorter periods activates proteins and maximizes the brine

pick-upwithoutissueslikeskinslip.Theproductsalsostaydrier.

8 · HOMESTYLE BREADING

Bulkloading

Tocompletethein-lineproductionofhomestyleproducts,

increase the belt speed and reduce the need for manual

handling,GEAdevelopedtheBulkLoaderP.Thissolutionis

particularlysuitedtoloadingbone-inandbone-lesspoultry

products via a transport conveyor into the GEA MultiDrum.

Tender aligner

An acknowledged problem with poultry tenders is that they

tend to fold, disorient and they can roll at transfer points on

the belt and therefore fall between belts and remain trapped.

Toavoidusingintensivemanuallabortocorrectthis,GEAhas

developedtheTenderAligner.Poultrytendersareautomatically

alignedsothattheypassovertransferpoints.Thisresultsin

better process yield, up to 50% higher throughput and more

consistent product appearance.

Frying equipment

Tohelpyoulowerthecostsofindustrialfrying,ourfrying

equipment is designed to minimize oil consumption, increase

productivity and enhance the quality of your products.

TherangeofmodularGEAEasyFrysolutions-largeand

small-ensuresthereisonetoexactlymatchyourcapacity

requirements. Consumer preferences for healthier and crisper

fried foods present the challenges for the industrial frying

processes, and GEA helps you meet them by providing solutions

withoptimalcontroloverthefryerandoilfiltrationequipment.

Filtering equipment

TheGEAOberlinOilFilterisahighcapacitycontinuously

operatingpressurefilterthatisespeciallysuitedtocoated

products.Thepollutedfryingoilispumpedunderpressure

throughadisposablefiltermedia.TheOberlinOilFilterasafilter

capacitytwotothreetimeshigherthanacentrifugeforfiltering

similarparticlesizes.Itfiltersbothsinkingandsuspended/floating

sediment, so there is no need to wait until the sediment burns and

sinksasitdoesinacentrifuge.Thismeanssedimentisremoved

beforeitstartstoaffecttheoil.Itfiltersparticlesdownto1micron,

and produces environmental friendly, dry sediment.

HOMESTYLE BREADING · 9

Cooking equipment

When coated products are cooked after frying, there is a danger

thatmoistureislostandtheyielddrops.Toovercomethis,the

GEA CookStar spiral oven provides two cooking sections where

the temperature and dew points are independently controlled,

andapatented‘booster’zone.Inthefirstsection,alowercore

temperature in combination with a high dew point (humidity)

seal in moisture. In the second section, hot air with a higher

temperature and lower dew point is used to create the crispy

coating so important for homestyle.

Freezing/packaging to complete your line

Freezing

Homestyle products come with an appealing taste and

presentation and suit customers’ wishes for easy preparation.

Foodsafetyatthehighestlevelisamust-havesincecoldor

warm consumption (short regeneration time) will be applicable.

TheGEASpiralFreezersaredesignedforthesedemanding

applications and fully satisfy the strict EHEDG hygienic design

requirementswhetheryouchillorfreeze.Thespiralsystemsare

configuredtosuityourbusinessdriversandbecomeanintegrated

part of your operations. GEA’s freezers portfolio covers the full

rangeofprinciples(low-tension,self-stackinganddirectdrive).

Vertical packaging solutions

TheverticalflowpackagingsolutionsfromGEAsetthe

industrystandardforoperationalreliability.ThecurrentGEA

SmartPacker has a proven technical availability of greater than

98%,andthisisconstantlyverifiedusingreal-timeperformance

analysis software running on installed base machines. A variety

of bags, with a wide range of options can be made on this

equipment. Depending on your needs you can select the type

that suits your product and customer best.

10 · HOMESTYLE BREADING

Putting innovation to work

Highlights for in-line homestyle breading include

• Bulkloadingofbone-inandbonelesspoultryproducts

• Brineinjection,massagingandtumblingspecially

developedforprocessingbone-inandbonelessproducts

• Accuratecontrolofthecoatingpick-uppercentage

combined with the best homestyle appearance on an

industrial scale

• Three-phasecookingconceptforthehighestcookingyields

Your added value

• Cost savings in terms of reduced labor, controlled

pick-uplevels,floursavings,extendedoillife

• A highly controlled process that delivers consistent

results in taste, color and quality

• Moreefficientprocessingandhighercapacitythanksto

anin-lineprocess,oneoperatorcanruna1000mmline

• Enhanced food safety due to reduced human contact

GEA leads the way in applying innovative technology in meat processing. A pro-active R&D department and superbly equipped Technology Centers to test new ideas, recipes and processes have yielded many process enhancements.

GEAGroupisaglobalengineeringcompanywithmulti-billioneurosalesandoperationsinmorethan

50 countries.Foundedin1881,thecompanyisoneofthelargestprovidersofinnovativeequipmentand

processtechnology.GEAGroupislistedintheSTOXX® Europe 600 Index.

We live our values.Excellence • Passion • Integrity • Responsibility • GEA-versity

GEA Food Solutions Bakel B.V.

P.O. Box 1,

5760 AA - Beekakker 11,

5761 EN Bakel, The Netherlands

Tel +31 (0)492 349 349

Fax +31 (0)492 349 416

info@gea.com

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